Scarlet Letters
by Forever-Wishful-Thinking
Summary: Sydney has recently moved to London due to family problems. She is in desperate need for a tutor in her final year of high school. She wants to unravel the mysteries of her new tutor and figure out what he is up to.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of the characters or any other songs, movies, books, or places that I might mention.**

 **New Beginnings**

 _Buzz. Buzz. Buzz._

Shit. I try to reach into my purse to grab my vibrating cell phone. Of course, it is probably at the very bottom of it. I lose my grip on my backpack, and it falls to my elbow. Why the hell did I ever get such an abyss for a purse? The strap from my backpack was starting to hurt, so I let it fall to the ground. I pull up my purse to get a better visual of what was inside.

 _Buzz. Buzz. Buzz._

God dammit. Where is it? I start to empty out my purse in pursuit of my phone. Wallet, set of keys, pack of gum, another set of keys…Why do I have to sets of keys? Aha! There is it; at the very bottom of my purse. I glance at the caller I.D. and the picture of my 13 year old sister. I roll my eyes and swing my backpack back over my left shoulder.

 _Buzz. Buzz._

"What do you want, Hannah?" I demand over the phone as I continue to walk into O'Hare International Airport.

"Is that any way to talk to your little sister?" She fires back.

"It is when you have called me at least four times since I left the house an hour ago." I glance at my watch. Damn, I got here way too early for my liking. I sigh, looks like I will have to wait a little longer than I wanted.

"Don't be like that Sydney. I am going to miss you, and I don't even know when I am going to see you next. Why do you even have to go?" Her voice is starting to break, but the only thing that I can do over the phone is reassure her that everything will be okay.

"You know why I am leaving Hannah. One of us has to go live with mom, and I did not want to uproot you from everything that you have here. Before you go on and on about all the things that you think that _I_ have, let me remind you that I really do not have anything going for me in this big city anyway. You have a lot of friends, and I am lucky enough to get out of the house every once in a while. Furthermore, you will be starting high school pretty soon, and it would not be fair to you if we tore you from everything that you know. Hannah…please, just let me do this for you." I take a breath and look around me as I listen to the silence on the other end of the phone.

"I know, and I am grateful that you are doing this for me." I find a fairly empty row of seats, and I put my backpack on the seat next to mine. "Syd, just promise me one thing, okay? Promise me that you will at least try to make some friends while you are there. I know you like to be secluded with your books and music, but I want you to have a good time while you are there."

I sigh again, and I am pretty sure that she heard it. I look at the bustling people around me. A guy in a business suit is sprinting to catch his flight, while an elderly couple is walking in the other direction. They are holding hands, and they are walking along as if they are taking a stroll through a park.

"Sydney Koontz!" I jump and look at my phone, and I remember that someone is waiting for my reply.

"Sorry, I spaced out. I will try to make some friends. I promise, but you have to promise to let this go. Do not dwell on this situation anymore, okay? Just focus on your art and going to rock concerts. I will probably see during Christmas break at the earliest." I look at my watch again. I still have a good 20 minutes.

I hear someone talking in the background, and I know exactly who it is. I sit up a little straighter form my slouched position, and I try to end the call before he realizes that it is me talking to Hannah. "Listen Han, I have to go. Just remember that this is for the best. You get along better with dad, and I get along better with mom. It was the only way that this was going to work."

I hear a sigh on the other end of the line, and I smile at how similar it sounds to mine. "Alright, I will let it go. Lord knows that I won't be able to stand to live alone with mom anyway. Did you want to talk to dad, he is right here?"

I freeze and start scrambling to end this call. "No, I am good. I will talk to later, okay? I love you. Bye!" As I hang up. I can hear her say 'I love you' and some unintelligible background noise. I sigh again and slump back into my seat. I glance at my watch again, and I still have 15 minutes. I close my eyes and think about why I am even here in the first place.

My dad. He is a hardworking man, and will do anything for his family and his friends. He is also a very selfish man. He is the kind of person that gets what he wants, and he will stop at nothing until he gets it. He could also fool anyone. I thought that our little family was great, and that everything was going well. My parents rarely fought, and they both worked really hard to provide for my sister and I. They went out on dates, did yard work together, and they always knew when something was wrong. Unfortunately, they did not pick up on the shit storm that was headed our way. I always thought that dad loved us, but when mom found him fucking some 20 year old, I think all of us had second thoughts. Mom had always loved him unconditionally. She would lay down her life for that man. So, when she found him in bed with another woman, she finally lost all of her shit. I had never seen act like that before. She was ranting, throwing things around the room, and throwing all of dad's belongings out of the window. I guess it was then that she decided that she needed a change of scenery. A couple of days after the incident, she had her bags packed and ticket to London, England in hand. Before she left, she told us that she would like one of us girls to come and live with her. Then, she was gone. I had immediately decided that I was going, and not just because I wanted Hannah to stay with her friends. I just do not think that I can stand the thought of living with dad right now. I can barely stand to think of him. It makes me so mad to think that he would betray the one person who gave her all to him. I feel the hot wisps of anger that I have become accustomed to travel up my spine, and I find myself glaring out of the nearby window.

Mom is a nurse. She lives and breathes to help people. She loves interacting with people and getting a chance to solve their problems instead of focusing on her own. She was offered a job in London at St. Thomas' Hospital, and she jumped at the opportunity to run from her problems instead of facing them. I do not blame here though, because I am the same way. I do not know what is wrong with me. On the outside I am timid, and I do not like to upset people. On the inside I am like an untamed animal. There must be a broken connection in my brain somewhere, and my thoughts just so not coincide with what actually comes out of my mouth and the actions that I do. My mother and I are the same in that respect. Hmm… maybe I will snap one day like she did. I am snapped out of my thoughts when I hear that my plane is boarding.

I stand up and stretch. I gather my backpack, and I make sure that I have my ticket in hand. I look out of the window again and notice the dark clouds that are rolling across the sky. I adjust my glasses and make my way to the terminal. There is already a line formed. I notice that it has begun to sprinkle outside, and due to the darkness outside, I can barely make out my reflection on the window.

I am wearing simple jeans, and I dark grey 'Jurassic Park' t-shirt. I have my brown hair pulled into a loose ponytail, and you cannot make out my light blue eyes due to my glasses. I look down at my old, beat-up black Nikes. I am a little overweight, but it is not like I anyone to impress. I am who I am, but it does not make the jokes hurt any less. I am also short. I cannot believe that I stopped growing in the fifth grade. Oh well, a shiver runs up my spine, and I can feel the goosebumps on my arms. I decide to pull on my navy colored hoodie, and I am really glad that I decided to get it out of my suitcase before they took it. I wonder what London will be like. Will it be anything like Chicago? I wonder if the–

"Um, excuse me miss? It is your turn." I look up and notice that I am in front of the line. I look at the attendant, and I can feel myself flush.

"S-sorry." I manage to stutter out and give her my ticket. She looks it over and hands it back to my.

"Don't worry about it. Have a good flight miss." She waves my on through, and I give her a nod in thanks. I travel along the narrow hallway and cross my arms over my chest. I find my seat quickly, and I put my bag at my feet. I look around and notice that there is not many people on board yet. I settle back down in my seat, and I decided to send mom a text that we were about to take off. I do not know if she will answer but I should let her know that I will be there soon. Knowing her, she probably picked up extra shifts at the hospital. I can only hope that she has made some time for me, but I will give her space since she has been through a lot these past couple of weeks.

The pilot announces that we will be taking off soon, so I strap my seatbelt. I stare out of the window as the plane takes off, and when they announce that we can move around, I take out my IPod. I put it on shuffle and sink even further down in my seat. I start to drift off as ' _National Anthem'_ by Lana Del Rey comes on.

* * *

' _I thought heaven can't help me now…'_

" _He's so bad but he does it so well…'_

" _I said no one has to know what we do…'_

I slowly start to wake up to the lyrics of one of Taylor Swift's songs, and I sit up straight. I look around and notice that people are getting their things together. I look outside to see that we are still in the air, and that it is still raining. I clasp my hands together and raise them over my head to stretch. I shut my IPod off and put it back into my bag. I run my eyes underneath my glasses and get ready for the plane to land. I check my phone for any messages from mom but there are none. Should have guessed, we have not had an actual face-to-face conversation since before she left. After everything is put away, I begin to think about what the future might hold. I know Hannah will be all right. She and dad have always been like one person. They have the same interests and the same personality. Except, Hannah knows what boundaries are, and she knows how to not fuck up her life or anybody else's. She will be fine. She has a crap ton of friends, and she even had a boyfriend. I feel a familiar spark ignite inside whenever I think of how popular my little sister is without even trying. I had to work hard to get the friends that I had, and even then, they do not even talk to me that much. Also, I would be lucky enough to have a boy glance my way.

I shake my head to cleat my thoughts. This is insane, I should be happy that my little sister has a great support system, and that she has so many people to talk to about how she feels about this whole situation.

I am shaken out of my thoughts when everyone else is getting up to leave. I had not even realized that the plane had landed, so I gather my backpack and get up to leave. As I am leaving, I glance back at my seat to make sure that I did not forget anything. I follow the waves of people that are getting off of the plane. After I depart from the plane, I make my way to the baggage claim area to wait for my red duffle bag. I only brought the essentials and enough clothes to last me for two weeks. I figured that would give my sister and dad enough time to send the rest of my stuff. It should not be hard for those two, since I had everything packed before I left. I see my bag on the conveyor belt, and I make a beeline for my bag. I was not expecting to run into someone.

"Watch where you are going!" I feel my cheeks flush again as I look up to the person that I had run into. He had light brown hair and brown eyes. He was really tall but everybody seems tall to me. So, he was probably average height. He seemed to be around my age, and he was dressed rather neatly. I was getting ready to apologize, but he was already walking away. I looked down at my shoes. I sighed and turned back to the belt, and I saw that my bag was all the way on the other side. I jogged along the conveyor belt to catch up with my bag. After I had retrieved my bag, I started to look around to see if my mom had come or not.

I had been looking around for about 20 minutes when I felt my phone vibrate. I dug my phone out of my purse. I was surprised when it was a text from my mom. My heart dropped when I saw the message.

'Sorry, honey! I can't come and get you from the airport because I had to work a double today. I will send you the address.'

I fucking knew it. Despite the fact that I knew this would happen, I could now help the anger from slowly creeping into my mind. I slowly shook my head and started to head outside to hail a taxi. When I stepped outside, I felt some drops hit my face. I put my hood up and started to look for a cab. After I finally hailed one down, I slid inside and gave the driver the address my mom had sent me. I am now really glad that mom had talked me into getting London's currency through our bank instead of waiting until I arrived. It took us about an hour to reach the house. I paid and got out of the cub with my bags. I turned around and looked at my new home. I stunned for a moment when I realized that it was a two story house. Why do we need such a big house for only two people? Oh well, I walk up the side walk and the three stairs. I lift the 'Welcome' mat and retrieve that key. After I unlock the door, I drop the key into my purse and make a mental note to attach onto my keyring later.

I start to roam around the house. The first thing that I see is the kitchen is straight ahead, and a bathroom is underneath the stairs. There is a little foyer with a set of stairs going to the second story, to my left was the living room, and to my right was the dining room. The living room was surprisingly simple for my mom's taste. There was a dark grey couch and a dark mahogany coffee table that matched the wooden floors that are in almost every room downstairs. The same could be said for the entertainment center that held the T.V., and it looks like she already got satellite installed. She had hung up some pictures of our family, but I did notice that none of them have dad in them. I go back to the foyer and head towards the dining room. There is a big table in the center of the room, and there is also a china cabinet against the further wall. I walk into the kitchen, and it is not much different from the one we had back home. There were the appliances and an island in the middle with stools on one side of it. The cabinets are dark in color, and the counter tops are a tan color. I noticed the all of the rooms are the same color as well; a cream color. There was a breakfast nook on the other side of the room and a door that led back to the living room. I walk through the living room and head upstairs. There are more pictures along the wall, but I do not feel like looking at them right now. There are three doors when I finally get to the top. To the right is my mother's room, and the middle is a library/office. I can see that mom has already placed all of her nursing books on a shelf, but she has left a lot of space for me. I do have a lot of books. There is also a desk in the middle of the room. So, by process of elimination, I guess the last door is my room. I gasp as I take the first look into my new room.

The walls are painted light green with dark brown trim. The carpet is white and soft to the touch. My bed is against the wall to my right, and the bed spread is also a dark brown color. I can see the sheets are the same light green as my walls. On the other side of the room, a tall dresser is in the middle of two doors. One being my closet and the other being a bathroom. The wall I am facing has a window in the center, and it has lights dangling off of the trim. The room is really bare considering that I have almost none of my stuff with me. I suddenly realize how tired I am, so I take off my glasses. I lay down on my bed and my last thought before I drift off is that living here might not be too bad.

* * *

"Sweetie. Honey, it is time to wake up." I feel fingers running through my ponytail as a listen to the sound of my mother's soft voice. I slowly open my eyes and sit up in bed. "How was your flight? Did everything go okay?" I just nod to her and get off of the bed. I pull my duffle bag onto the bed and start unpacking. My mom is silent for a few minutes while I finish up. "Don't forget that you need to stop by the school today to sort a few things out. I won't be able to come with you because I have to work." Of course.

I shake my head at her. "It's fine. I think I will manage. You said it was only a couple of blocks away, right?" She nods and gets off of the bed. She is almost out of my room when she pauses to glance back at me.

"When will the rest of your stuff be here?" She asks.

"Soon." I say. She sighs and walks over to give me a hug. I know what she is trying to say with this hug. She wants to reassure me that everything will be alright, but I am not so sure. When she leaves my room, I glance at the clock. It is 9:36 A.M. I should get moving.

It is another hour by the time mom leaves the house, and in the time I have showered, brushed my teeth, and gotten dressed. I have on a Nirvana t-shirt, some jeans, and my beat-up sneakers. I put my hair up in a bun, and I decide to put on my contacts today. I head downstairs and make some toast with strawberry jam. I grab my backpack and my keys and head out the door. Apparently, the name of the high school is Wammy's. What kind of name is that? I shrug and walk the couple of blocks to the school. I walk through the entrance and into the large foyer. The plain white tile floors and walls with reds strips. There is a sign that points to the administration office, and I follow the sign. Hanging off of the walls are red lockers, and every so often they are disrupted by wooden doors of classrooms. I reach the office and let myself in.

There are a few other students in as well, but I ignore them and go up to the elderly woman who is behind the desk. She has bright white hair and electric blue eyes. She is wearing a light pink dress shirt and a gold necklace with a heart on it. She peers at me over her glasses. "What can I do for you today, sweetheart?"

"Uh…My name is Sydney Koontz, and I am going to be a senior this year. I am new." I look everywhere but at the lady, but I can see her smiling from the corner of my eye. She types away at her computer and prints something out. She hands the paper to me and I realize that it is my class list. I glance over the list and stop when I get to physics. I totally forgot about that! I had failed it last year and had compromised with my parents that I would take it again the following year. Shit. I look back at the lady before turning red. "Is there any way that I could sign up for a tutor this early?" She gives me quizzical look before nodding her head.

"Sure. We can sign you up if you need to. What class is it?" She takes out a sheet of paper form a file while she waits for my answer.

"Physics." I reply. She looks at in understanding before writing my name and subject down on the piece of paper. She then takes a look at another piece of paper and looking it over. She must have found what she was looking for because she wrote something down on a piece of paper before turning back to me.

"Before you leave, I want you to double check all of you information. Also, you are in luck. We just got the list in for available tutors this semester, and one of them wants physics." I sigh in relief as she goes over my information with me. After we have finished, she gives me a map of the school and a student planner that has all of the schools major events in it. She also hands me a scrap of paper with a name and a phone number on it. I wave to Phyllis, the name of the kind secretary, and start to head back home. I take a look at the name and number that she gave me, and I cannot help stare at the odd name before my eyes.

L Lawliet

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, any of the characters or any other songs, movies, books, or places that I might mention.**

 **New Encounters**

After I got back home, I went to the kitchen to get some lunch. I opened the fridge to find…nothing. Well, it was not completely empty. There was some milk, a couple of bottled waters, and some grape jelly. There was not much in the freezer either. Besides the ice, mom had gotten some 'dinner for one' meals. I looked to through the cabinets and found some bread, sugar, and peanut butter. I knew mom was busy, but I did not know that she was this busy. I pulled out my phone and sent a text to my mom to see if she was going to be home tonight and that I was going to do some shopping.

I looked around the kitchen and noticed a door by the fridge. I opened it to find a small enclosed porch with a washer and dryer in it. There was a door in the small porch that led to the backyard. It was not a huge backyard, but it was not too small either. There were two big oak trees and a porch swing out in the yard. It was enclosed by a fence, and, I could not see over the fence to see what was on the other side. I opened the door and took a couple of steps outside. I light breeze rustled the limbs of the trees, and I closed my eyes as the wind blew through my hair. The weather was not bad for it being late August.

 _Buzz. Buzz._

I jumped a little at the vibrations of my phone. I looked down at my phone to see that my mom was going to home around six thirty. She also told me that there was some extra money in the top right drawer of her vanity in her room. I sent her a text back asking where the nearest grocery store was. I went back inside and up the stairs to grab my money from my room. I also took some for mom's stash just in case I needed it. While waiting for mom to reply back, I started to think about what things I should get. I would have to remember to cut back on some of the things I would usually buy for my family. I would only be cooking for two people now, not four. Mom was gone a lot back then too, so I would have to pick a day to do laundry for the both of us. With that thought in mind, I went back to the laundry room to see how much detergent we had.

 _Buzz. Buzz._

I looked down at the text. She said the nearest one was down the street about ten blocks. I sighed and picked up the bottle of detergent to find that it was empty. I threw the bottle away and made may way to the front door. After I made sure that the house was locked up, I headed towards the store.

On the way, the streets were filled with kids enjoying the last days of summer. They were chasing each other, throwing balls around, and some were playing soccer. I smiled at how much fun they were having, and I started to wonder what Hannah was doing. She was probably hanging out with her own friends and soaking up her last days of summer as well. I slowed my pace down when I saw the store was within view. I walked inside and grabbed a cart.

While walking through the aisles, I grabbed some fruits and vegetables. I also grabbed some meals for a few days, in case mom was home more nights this week. I picked up some snacks, some tea bags, and detergent and fabric softener. I put some toilet paper, paper towels, and dryer sheets in the cart. I was wondering through the lunch meat section when school lunches popped in my head. Should I bring my own lunch? I really did not want to be in a big room of people filled with awkward conversations and silences. I grabbed some lunch meat, chips, eggs, cheese, some more bread and sugar. Well, that should be a good start for the next week or so. While I was heading for the checkout, I accidently bumped into someone.

I looked up to see a young man with dirty blond hair and warm brown eyes. He was not that much taller than I was, and he was lanky. "I am so sorry," I say as I look at the items in my cart.

"Don't worry about it. I was not looking where I was going." I nod and start to move around him. I stop when I feel a hand on my arm.

"Hey, don't I know you from somewhere." I finally meet his gaze and shake my head.

"N-no, I just moved here."

He stares at me for a few moments before he snaps his fingers. "I know! You moved into the house next to mine. You arrived yesterday, right?" I nod at his question, and I feel the blush creeping up my neck. "I am William by the way. William Jones." He extends his left hand for me to take, and I hesitate before I shaking it.

"I'm Sydney Koontz."

"So," we start to head towards the front of the store together, "what grade are you in?"

"I am a senior this year."

"Really?" He let out a little laugh and glances at my face. "You look a little young to be in high school, let alone in your last year." The blush was on full force now.

"I know. I am a little short for my age." We arrive at the cash register, and since he only had a couple of items, I let him go first.

"Thanks." He takes out his wallet and pays for his things. "What school are you going to?"

"Wammy's." I start to put my things on the counter so the lady can ring them up. William helped me unload the cart.

"Oh, that is where I go!" He smiles at me, and I respond with a smaller smile of my own.

"Really? W-what is it like?" I pay for my items and move to grab the bags only to have some of them already in William's hands. I grab the remaining bags, and we head out of the store together.

"It's not bad at all. Most of the people are nice, and the teachers are willing to help if you are a good student. There are also some sports teams, if you are into that kind of thing. There are also a bunch of clubs that you can join. Look at me, I am rambling about school. Do you live here with your family?" I look straight ahead at the children running in the yards.

"It is just me and my mom, my father and my sister are back in the States. What about you?"

"I live with my parents, and I used to have a sister."

"Used to?"

"Yea, she died a couple of years back." I stop walking and look at him in shock for a moment. He continues to walk down the sidewalk.

"I'm sorry." He stops and turns to look back at me with a small smile on his face.

"It was years ago, and I have had plenty of time to come to terms with her death. If anything, I should be the one that is sorry."

I look at him confused for a few seconds. "Why?"

"I just met you and I am being a downer by bringing up my sister's death."

"You are not being a downer. It is only natural to be sad, and I could not even imagine what I would do if my little sister died." It was silent after that. Actually, I cannot even bear the thought of my sweet sister dead. I would miss everything about her. Her giggles, her smile, and the way her eyes would light up like Christmas lights every time the subject of art came up. I feet a pain in my chest just thinking about it, and I shake the ugly thoughts away.

"Looks like we're here." I look up and saw that we were standing in front of my house. We walk up the porch and I unlock the front door. I turn to him and gather the rest of the bags into my hands.

"Thank you for the help," I say and smile at him.

He smiles back and starts to walk backwards down the sidewalk. "It wasn't a problem, we were headed in the same direction anyway. Well, it was nice to meet you Sydney, and I hope to see you at school on Tuesday."

"You, too. Yes, you will see me there." He waves and heads to the house next door, and I walk inside of my own house. God, I am so awkward.

I put the bags on the kitchen counter and head back to shut the door. I put everything that I bought away, and I head upstairs to gather the laundry. Who knows the last time mom actually did a load, and I had feeling that she in desperate need of some clean scrubs. I was right. Her hamper was filled to the brim, and I carried it down to the laundry room. I sorted through the hamper and separated the darks and lights. I put towels in one pile, jeans in the other, and her unmentionables in the last pile. After I started a load, I went to the kitchen to start supper. I decided to make spaghetti.

By the time supper was done, I had done a two loads of laundry. I put the folded clothes in the laundry basket, and took them up to mom's room. I set the clothes on her bed and went to leave the room, but something made me stop. It was a picture of our family. It had all four of us in it. It was taken about three years ago when mom and dad decided to take us to Disney World during our winter break. We were in front of the castle, and Hannah and I were in front of our parents with Mickey Mouse ears on our heads. I had Pirates of the Caribbean styled ears and Hannah had one with purple and black stripes with a tiara in between the ears. I always forgot how much we look alike. We could pass for twins if we really wanted to, but there were some differences. For one, she was taller than me, and even in the picture, you can tell how much we are different personality wise.

Even though we are the sun and moon personality wise, we always told each other everything. There were no secrets between us. I missed her so much. I felt the burning in my eyes as I stared at the photo.

 _Bang._

"Sydney! Are you home?" I jumped and wiped the tears from my eyes. I walked out of the room and down the stairs.

"Yea." I met her in the foyer and headed towards the kitchen. "I made supper if you are hungry."

She smiles at me. "I'm starved, and it has been so long since I have had a home cooked meal."

"I know," I responded and gave my mother a knowing look. "You know you cannot survive long on 'meals for one' and water. You need other nutrients. By the way, I started the laundry."

"Hey, don't look at me like that! I was in a hurry and just picked up some things that I knew would be easy to make." She has already made her plate and was making her way to the breakfast nook.

"Mom, you are a nurse. You should take better care of yourself." I made myself a plate and joined her at the table.

"Okay, from now on I will take better care of myself. Thank you for starting the laundry for me." She is already half way through her plate. "So, how was today?"

"Kind of boring. I met the kid that lives next door, his name is William." She gives me a knowing smile and scoots a little closer to me.

"Is he cute?" I stare at her and I can feel the burning heat of a blush on my face.

"Mom! It is not like that. Besides, we just met and…" I had no idea what to say.

She lets out a little giggle and pats my head. "Sweetheart, I was just kidding." We go back to eating. A thought pops into my head, and I turn to look at mom.

"I was thinking about getting a job. You know, nothing too big. Maybe something that is a couple of days a week." She looks at me for a few seconds before responding.

"That sounds like a great idea. It will help fill your time when I am not here."

"I was also wondering if… maybe, when I get enough money…that I could…"

"Spit it out, Syd." She laughs again.

"I was wondering if it would be okay if I could get a puppy when I have enough money of my own. You know, it is really lonely when you are not here." I am looking down at my half eaten plate of spaghetti. We had never had a pet before, and I was afraid that she would not want one now.

"Doesn't sound too bad. Sure, why not?" I look up at her.

"Really?" I can feel myself getting excited.

She nods. " I know this was a big change for you Sydney, and if you think that getting a puppy will make you feel more at home here, then I am all for it." I smile at her and give her a hug.

"Thank you." I get up from the table to put away the leftovers.

"You don't have to thank me, Syd. I did it because I love you."

The rest of my things arrived a few days later. I was excited to finally have something to do. The guys who brought my stuff to the house also helped bring in all of the boxed into the house. I thanked them before they left and looked at all of the boxes around the foyer, living room, and dining room. Well, I guess I should get started, but first I have to find my wireless IPod dock. I looked at the labels on the boxes until I found the correct one. When I found it, I placed it on the coffee table and got my IPod from my room. I put it on shuffle and let the music take over as I turned back to the boxes.

 _They say I'm too young to love you  
I don't know what I need  
They think I don't understand  
The freedom land of the seventies  
I think I'm too cool to know ya_

I go to the box labeled movies and start to put them on the shelves of the entertainment center. Most of them are horror movies, but there are some classics that have wormed their warm love stories into my heart. By the time I am done with that, another song has come on.

 _Your lips are nettles,  
Your tongue is wine.  
Your laughter's liquid,  
But your body's pine.  
You love all sailors,  
But hate the beach._

I sway my body as I head to the next box, which has my bed stuff in it. Well, since I have a new bedspread and sheets, I take the box and move it to the laundry room. I put it on the shelf across from the washing machine and dryer. I go back to the living room, and the next three boxes have my books in them. I grab the first one and head upstairs to the office.

 _Oh, it's just me, myself and I  
Solo ride until I die  
Cause I got me for life  
(Got me for life, yeah)  
Oh I don't need a hand to hold_

After, I bring all of the boxes with books to the office, I unpack all of them. I am thankful that there was enough room on the shelves for all of my books, I was worried that there would not be enough room. I bring the empty boxes back downstairs.

 _If I wrote you a symphony  
Just to say how much you mean to me (What would you do)  
If I told you you were beautiful  
Would you date me on the regular (Tell me would you)  
Well baby I've been around the world_

The next few boxes have the rest of my clothes in them. I bring them up to my room, and I try to dance with the boxes in my hands. I put the rest of my clothes in my drawers, and I put the nice clothes that I do have in my closet. I go back downstairs with the boxes.

 _I got my head checked  
By a jumbo jet  
It wasn't easy  
But nothing is  
No_

The next box had my shoes in them, and I took it upstairs and put my shoes at the bottom of my closet. I head bang on my way downstairs. The last couple of boxes have my pictures, bulletin board, and laptop. I take the last of the boxes upstairs to my room.

 _I woke up, it was 7  
Waited 'til 11  
Just to figure out that no one would call  
I think I've got a lot of friends but I don't hear from them  
What's another night all alone?_

I put the few picture frames that I had on my tall dresser, and the ones that did not have frames for, I pinned them to the bulletin board. I headed downstairs to find a hammer and some nails so I could hang my bulletin board up. I found both on one of the shelves in the laundry room.

 _She was more like a beauty queen from a movie scene  
I said don't mind, but what do you mean, I am the one  
Who will dance on the floor in the round  
She said I am the one, who will dance on the floor in the round_

I put the board on the wall by my window, and went downstairs to flatten the boxes. I put all of the flattened boxes between the wall and the dryer in the laundry room. I went to the living room and picked up my dock and brought it to my room and set it on my dresser.

 _White lines, pretty baby, tattoos,  
Don't know what they mean,  
They're special, just for you.  
White palms, baking powder on the stove,  
Cookin' up a dream,  
Turnin' diamonds into snow. _

I shut off my dock, and I fell onto my bed. I pulled out the student handbook that I had gotten the week before to look it over. Looks like Wammy's is on an AB schedule. Four classes one day and the other four the next day. That is about ninety minutes for each class, and I just happen to have the wonderful class of physics on the first day. Speaking of which, I checked my phone for any missed calls or texts.

I had been trying to get ahold of my tutor for the past few days to see when the best time for them to meet was. So far, I had not heard back at all, and school started tomorrow. I hope this guy calls me soon.

 _Buzz. Buzz._

What is going on?

 _Buzz. Buzz._

What time is it? I unlock my phone and the bright light almost blinds me. It is five forty-five in the morning on the first day of school. Who could be calling me?

 _Buzz. Buzz._

I squint at the unknown number. God, I am so blind without my glasses or contact. I answer the call.

"It's about time." A cold voice says.

"Wha—?" I cannot even think right now.

"Meet me after school in the library." Then the line goes dead. I take the phone away from my ear and stare at my screen for a long time. Who was that? Maybe it was my tutor. I can only hope it was him, but why is he calling me at six in the morning? I sigh and push myself in to a sitting position on my bed. There is no why that I will be able to go back to sleep now.

I get out of bed and head for the shower. After I am done, I put on some khakis and a dark green polo shirt. I put my hair in a ponytail, and I decided to wear my glasses today. The only make-up that I bother with is foundation for the bags under my eyes. I hang up my towel and go into my room. I put new notebooks, folders, and pencils into my backpack. I slip on my worn out black shoes and head to the kitchen. I make oatmeal and have a glass of milk. After I was done with breakfast, I made my lunch. It is ten minutes past seven. I lock up the house, grab my bag, and start to make my way to school. When I arrive, there are more people already here then I thought there would be. I take out my schedule and I look for my locker number. Let's see… locker number three hundred and seven. I look at one of the lockers to my left, and they are only the one hundreds. I sigh and make my way down the hallway, trying to avoid as much human contact as I can. After about ten minutes of wondering around, I finally find it. My schedule also has the combination on it. I get my locker to open and put my backpack in it and grab a notebook, folder and my pencil pouch.

According to my schedule, I need to go to homeroom for an hour. I make it to the classroom a couple of minutes before seven thirty. I sit in the second row. Homeroom consisted of listening to a voice over the intercom do a welcome speech, and the teacher reviewing all of the rules in the handbook. The first class I have today was French, then World History, Physics, and Anatomy and Physiology.

My first two classes flew by, and before I knew, it was lunch. I made my way to the cafeteria and looked around at all the full tables. I turned around and made my way through the halls looking for the library. I found it in the same hallway as my locker was and made my way inside. There was an elderly lady behind the main desk, and she barely looked up from her work when I came in. I found a secluded place near the back of the library and I ate my peanut butter and jelly sandwich in peace. When the warning bell rang, I made my way to my next class.

The rest of the day was a blur, and it was mostly due to the fact that I did not really try to talk to anyone. Due to the long periods, the teachers had long enough to get through at least one lesson, and enough time for them to hand out homework.

After the last bell rang, I gathered all of the textbooks that I would need, shut my locker and headed towards the library. I choose one of the empty tables, and I sat facing the entrance. I waited for about ten minutes when the door opened.

I looked up to see a young man around my age. He had black, unruly hair, and he was hunched over. Well… not really hunched, it was more like slumped forward. He was wearing light blue jeans and a white long-sleeved shirt that both looked to be too big for him. I looked down at his feet, and he was wearing beat-up white tennis shoes. He took his time walking over to the table. When he got to the table, he pulled out the chair across from me. He stepped onto the chair with one foot and brought his other to join it on the chair. He put his hands on his knees, and looked at me with his dark, owl-like eyes. He was really pale, and he had the darkest bags under his eyes that I have ever seen. I open my mouth to greet him, but he holds up one of his hands.

"Before we begin, I would like to inform you that I am not here on my own free will. I have other things that I could be doing at this moment, but I am wasting my time with you. I would like to make our meetings as short as possible, so I can go do things that I would like and need to do. Our meetings will only be about an hour long, and I can only meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Are there any questions?" He looks at me with those wide, unresponsive eyes. I do not even think he blinked throughout that speech.

I am speechless for the next few moments. What do you say to that? My mouth is hanging open, and my eyes are wide. He holds up his hand again and stares at me with those blank eye.

"So," he says as he crosses his arms over his knees and lays his head down on his crossed arms. "Shall we begin?"

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Songs:**

 **Brooklyn Baby by Lana Del Rey The Violet Hour by Sea Wolf**

 **Me, Myself, and I by G-Eazy & Bebe Rexha My Love by Justin Timberlake**

 **Song 2 by Blur I'm Just a Kid by Simple Plan**

 **Billie Jean by Michael Jackson Florida Kilos by Lana Del Rey**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, any of the characters or any other songs, movies, books, or places that I might mention.**

 **New Experiences**

* * *

We spent the next several minutes in silence. I did not know what to think after he gave his little 'speech.' I sat in the chair with my mouth agape, and I tried to piece together what I wanted to say to him. What do you say to that? I mean, if he thought it was a waste of his time and did not want to do it, then why did he sign up for it? Maybe it was because we started so early in the school year? I did not do so hot the last time I took this course, so I wanted to get a head start and not fall behind on anything. He cannot fault me for that… I felt the familiar sparks of anger crawl up my spine as I finally decided what to say to him.

"Then why are you here?" There was a little bit more bite in my words than I had planned, but I could not find it in me to care. He signed up for this, so if he had a problem with it, he should not have done it.

He continued to stare at me. Then, he lifted his head and blinked at me. "It would look good on my record," he shrugged and leaned back in the chair. "Well, that and my grandpa wanted to involve me in some sort of extracurricular activity. I am qualified for this position if you were wondering."

He looked down at my textbook and then back to me. "Why is a freshman taking physics?"

"What makes you think that I am a freshman?" I was kind of offended that he thought that. I know I am on the short side, but just because I am short does not mean that I am younger than I look.

"I have never seen you around here before." He continues to stare at me with his owl-like eyes.

I let out a sigh. I guess that is understandable. If I had attended this place for a while, and someone new popped up, I would probably think that they were younger. "No, I'm not. I happen to be in my last year." He gave a little smirk.

"You're in your last year… and you just now getting to physics?" I felt myself blush and turned my head to the side.

"I took it last year, but it didn't go so well." I mumbled and continued to glare at the carpeted floor. I heard him chuckle, and I whipped my head to glare at him.

"What is your problem?" I have only ever raised voice at someone maybe twice in my life. Normally, I would either keep my cool, or I would be too shy to actually say something. I was finding it very difficult to keep my cool.

He tilted his head to the side. "Problem? I don't have a problem. It might take you a while to understand the material and the problems, but I am sure that by the end of the year, you will be able to do physics on an average level." I continued to glare at him. When I opened my mouth to retort, I was interrupted.

 _Buzz. Buzz._

He stood on the chair and dug the phone out of his pocket. He looked at the screen for a good minute before hopping off of the chair and grabbing his backpack from the ground. It took me a second to realize that he was leaving.

"Where are you going?" I was out of my chair too, and I took a couple of steps in his direction.

He stopped waling and turned around. "Like I said earlier, I have better things to do. Besides, your hour is up." I glanced at my watch, and stared at it in shock for a couple of seconds. It had been an hour already? No way. "An hour can go by quick, so pay better attention next time. Let this be our first lesson; time management." With that, he left the library.

What the hell? Not even an hour this guy, and I do not like him. I sighed and plopped down in my chair. This was going to be a long school year. Is he going to be like that at all of our sessions? He is such a smart-ass. Maybe I should change tutors. I mean if he doesn't want to be here, and I don't want him here then it should not be a problem, right? A thought struck then and my stomach dropped.

What if all the tutors are booked up by the time I get around to changing it? What if they won't let me change it? I sighed and laid my head on the wooden table. What was I going to do? I wanted to do good this time and actually learn something. I sighed again and banged my head on the table and hoping it would help me brainstorm.

"I wouldn't stress about it if I were you." I jumped out of my chair to face the person who had spoken. The person happened to be sitting in the seat next to mine.

He was my age, and he had shaggy brown hair. I could not see the color of his eyes because they were blocked by his goggles. He wore a long-sleeved red and black stripes shirt and dark blue jeans. In his hands was an old-school Gameboy in his hands. From the faint music emitting from the device, I concluded that he was playing Pokémon. I only knew that because my little sister had been obsessed with the games ever since she learned how to use my old Gameboy.

"Um, who are you?" He has literally popped out of nowhere. I had been here the entire time and had not even heard his approach. He scowled at the small screen and dropped the system down on the table. He turned to me with the brightest smile on his face.

"I'm Matt." He extended his hand out for me to take. I shook his hand and sat back down at the table.

"I'm Sydney."

"It's nice to meet you, Sydney. I'm serious, though. You shouldn't let him get to you. He really isn't that bad. You see, our Lawli, likes to get arise out of people. He annoys you on purpose, but it doesn't mean anything. He just likes to see other people's reactions to things that he does… it's more of an experiment than anything else." He shrugged and picked up his Gameboy. "He is a great tutor though, so don't get rid of him. He helped me pass algebra last year, and even I was surprised that I got an 'A' in the class." He laughed and returned to his game.

"How do I get him to stop this… experiment thing, and focus more on the work?" He paused his game and turned his boy to me.

"Well, there is one things that he likes more than anything else in the world." I could practically feel the hope in my eyes as I looked at him.

"What is it?"

He gave me a small, smug smile. "I can't give you that information for free. You have to earn it."

I stared at him. "W-what do you want?" I hope he didn't want anything inappropriate. God, after this I am never taking advice from strangers ever again. He tore his eyes away from mine and scanned the library. His eyes lit up when he thought of what he wanted. He turned back to me with a mischievous look in his eyes.

"You see that girl over there?"

I scanned the library until I found the only other person in the library, besides the librarian. She was walking along the isles putting books back onto the shelves. She had her beach blonde hair in a short ponytail, and she had icy blue eyes. She had on khakis, brown flats, and a black polo on. She was also as pale as I was. It seemed as though she had a permanent scowl on her face.

"Yea, what about her?" I turned back to Matt.

"You see, every year my friend, Mello, throws a huge party at the beginning of the school year. It is held at one of his parent's houses out in the country. It's a big deal, and our goal is to have as many people come to this party as we can."

"What does that have to do with the girl?" He rolled his eyes and sighed.

"It has to do with the girl because we want as many people to come, and she does not come to any parties." I continued to stare at him before he sighed again. "Your objective is to get her to the party on Friday night."

"I don't even know her." How was I supposed to get her to come if I did not even know her name?

"So. You said you were new here, right? Now is your chance to make new friends." He stands up. "I won't tell you my secret if she doesn't show up to the party."

"How will I know if she shows up or not?"

He looks over his shoulder and smiles at me. "Guess that means you'll have to come, too."

"W-what? I don't…do parties." I stuttered out, and I was becoming nervous.

"If want my knowledge, you will have to come." He walked towards the back of the library and disappeared behind a bookshelf.

Yea, I am definitely going to stop talking to strangers. I put the textbook in my bag and headed towards the exit. I looked around for the girl, but she was nowhere in sight. I glanced at the librarian's desk as I walked by and stopped in my tracks. There was an 'Assistance Wanted' sign on her desk.

Does it pay? Can schools even pay students to work in the library? I might as well see what it entails. I walk up to the librarian. When I got to the desk, she did not look up from her book. "Ahem." She looks up at me with a questioning look and doesn't say a word.

"I-I was wondering about the help that you were looking for." After hearing this, she smiles broadly and nods her head.

"Yes, this year some extra help is needed because my usual assistant can only work so many days a week." She closes her book and puts it to the side. "Are you interested in the position?"

"Yes. I don't mean to sound, um, rude, but does it pay?"

She smiles knowingly at me. "Yes, it does. Not very much, though. So… do you want it?"

I immediately nodded my head. "Of course."

"Great! My other assistant, Sammie, has volleyball practice on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and Saturday mornings. So, you will have to work those days. Does that work for you?"

"That's… perfect actually." I smile a little at my good luck.

"Good. So, she doesn't have practice tomorrow because the coaches didn't want to stress everyone out with school starting again. So, she will be here tomorrow after school to show you the reigns and what you will have to do. Any questions?"

I shook my head. "Nope."

"Good. I will see you tomorrow!"

I exited the library in higher spirits, and I couldn't wait to tell my mom the good news about my job. I would also have to tell her about that jerk of a tutor…

* * *

The next day flew by. I had my Literature class, and as it turns out, the first book that we will be doing is "Pride and Prejudice." I had always wanted to read the book, but I had never gotten around to doing it. I also had Trigonometry, Psychology and Chemistry. I was surprised that I did not have to take a physical education class, and when I asked Phyllis, the secretary, she said that I had completed all of the credits that I would need for physical education at my other school. I wasn't going to complain. I was happy that I wouldn't have to sweat every other day.

The teachers in all of my classes had assigned homework already. I was staring to appreciate the two day schedule. It gave you more time to finish your homework, and it works really well with people who have extracurricular activities.

After school, I gathered up my books and went to the library. When I got there, the only one there was the librarian.

"Hello! How was your day?" She said as she looked up at me.

"It was fine. Got a lot of homework though."

She laughs a little. "Yes, it seems like this place never stops working. Oh! I am so sorry! I don't even know your name. I'm Julie by the way."

"Sydney." She smiles and looks over my shoulder and her smile brightens. I turn around and see the blonde girl from yesterday. Julie looks back to me.

"Sydney, I would like you to meet Sammie, the other assistant. She will be showing you around and how to do the job." She then looks over to Sammie. "Sammie, this is Sydney." Sammie gave a nod of understanding and walked behind the desk. I stood awkwardly as she put her backpack in a cubbyhole. She looked at me and motioned for me to come behind the desk.

"This is where you will put your stuff while you are working." I walked behind the desk and added my bag to hers. I noticed that the desk was more like a small cubical and had only two exits.

"The job is pretty simple. You check out people's books for them, and put the books back on the shelves." She turned to one of the computers on the desk. "The first thing that you need to know, is that all of the books that are on the shelves, are listed in our online library." She went to the schools website and showed me the library tab. "Besides the books that we have, it encompasses the books form surrounding libraries, including other school's libraries. So, that means if one of our classmates were to want a book from another place, they could have mailed her using the library tab on our website, and the other library would mail the materials here, and we would notify the student by e-mail or whatever that it has arrived. It also works vice-versa; we can send out books. When they are done with the books, they return them to us, and we will mail them back. The key is, that when checking out any books, from whatever library they want to, they have to have their library/I.D. card that the school gives them." She looks at me to see if I understood.

I nodded for her to continue. It was actually an ingenious idea. Instead of limiting the students to just one library, that might not have the resources they are looking for, they have a broad place at their fingertips to find what they are looking for.

"Students can also visit these other libraries when the time is appropriate and check out books and other materials there. If they have their card. In addition, this website has databases where you can look up scholarly articles and periodicals. You can narrow down your search by listing topics in the search bar, and all of the articles that have anything to do with your topic will pop up. You can also narrow down your results by choosing a time frame within the time the articles were written. For example, if you instructor wants articles that are less than ten years old, you can adjust it so it only shows articles from within ten years. You can also choose if the articles have been peer reviewed or not." She looked at me again and I nodded.

"If I were you, I would get very familiar with this website because you will have a lot of students asking you where to find things, how to narrow their search, and which database to use. We have a lot of databases dealing with different subjects. We have one for agriculture, healthcare, psychology, sociology, and the list goes on and on. So, I would get very familiar with this because a lot of students utilize it." She exits out of the website, and clicks on a book icon. She logs in.

"This is what we use to check out books and to put them back into the system." She motioned to a scanner by the computer. "You always ask for their card first, because if you scan the book first it won't do anything. It is also to make sure that you have the right person." She walks over to her back and pulls out her own card. She scans it and a picture of her pops up on the screen. "If the person on the screen does not match the person standing in front of you, do not let them have the books." She grabs a nearby book and opens the front cover. "Every book has a scan code, so when you scan the card and have the right person, you can scan the books and it appears in the student's account." She scans the book and the title pops up underneath her information, and it also has the date the book is due back on the screen. "Students have a maximum of two week to have each book, but they can renew the materials if they would like. They can either come in and renew them, or they can do it online by logging into the library with their student I.D. and renewing them there." She went back to the home page, and there were three columns.

"This is sort of your 'to-do' list. The first column is for overdue books. When the student's name pops up, you have to send them an e-mail about the late book. We probably won't have any for the first couple of weeks because there isn't much of a workload right now. The second column is for books that we are expecting to come in from other libraries and when to expect them. If we did have one, you would click on the book title, and it would give you the name and e-mail address of the student who wishes to check it out so you can notify them. The last one is the books that we have to send out to other libraries. The last thing I am going to show you on the computer is how to get books back into the system." She picks up the book she had put into her account and scans it again. "When people are returning books, you don't have to have their card. You can just scan it and a box will pop up, that asks if you want to return or renew." She clicked 'return,' and her I.D. came up again and the book was no longer there. "Simple enough?" I nodded again.

After that, she took me on a tour of the library. About half-way through, I remember that I was somehow supposed to get this girl to go to the party on Friday. How would I do that? She seemed so distant and right to the point. Maybe that is what I should do? Get right to the point.

"Um… Are you going to the party on Friday?" She stops in her tracks and turns around to look at me with her icy blue eyes.

"I hadn't planned on it. Why?"

"W-well I thought about going but didn't want to go alone. You know… safety with the buddy system and all that." I awkwardly smiled at her. Oh my god. Why am I so weird? She raised her eyebrows at me.

She sighed. "Sure, why not?"

I perked up at this. "Really?" I thought it would have taken a lot to convince her to come.

She nods and continues down the aisle. "Yes, I'm sure. It is my last year, and I should at least try to have a bit of fun while I am here."

Once the tour was over, we were back at the desk. The librarian is gone. "I will warn you, the first couple of weeks will be boring." She smiled at me before grabbing her backpack. "Oh, almost forgot." She grabbed her keys and pulled two off of the ring. "This key will get you into the school on Saturdays and this one will get you into and lockup the library. Whenever you work, you will always lock up the library. You walk around make sure everything looks good, and make sure that you get done what you need to before leaving. Also, we are open on Saturdays to the students who are too busy throughout the week to come. During the workdays we close at four-thirty, and on Saturday, we are open from eight till noon."

She handed me the keys and wrote something down on a piece of paper. "This is your login, the security code to the building, and this is my phone number."

"Number?" I was dumbfounded for a moment.

"Yea… we are going to a party, right?" I nodded. "So, text me when and where you want to meet up. Don't worry about how to get there. He has this party every year at the same place. I went there my freshman year, and it was a disaster. Maybe the buddy system will work out better, yea?" She smiles at me as we walk out of the library. She takes one of the keys out of my grasp and locks the library up. She gives the key back and starts to walk in the opposite direction that I need to go.

"Thanks!" I holler at her, and she just gives me a lazy wave as she disappears around the corner.

* * *

The rest of week went by smoothly. Well, for the most part. Jerk face decided not to show up on Thursday and not tell me. So, I decided to join Sammie at the librarian's desk, and surprisingly enough, she helped me out with my physics homework. She had taken it las year and passed with a 'B,' so I was pretty confident in her abilities to teach me. Other than that, everything was good.

Now, it was Friday, and I was a nervous wreck. I was waiting outside of the school, waiting for Sammie to show up. I tried to leave the house in jeans and a t-shirt, but unfortunately for me, it was one of the days that my mom was home. She asked where I was going, and she was appalled that I didn't get dressed up. She sent my back upstairs to try again. Now, I was wearing black tights and a forest green dress that stopped at mid-thigh. I had on black flats, and my mom had managed to lightly curl my hair and pin half of it back. I swear she is the only mom that would know her kid is going to a party and encourage it.

To say I was very self-conscious about what I was wearing was an understatement. I was not used to dressing like this, and all I wanted to do was throw my hair up in a ponytail. Mom had tried to do my make-up, but I refused and did it myself. I only did the minimal amount. I then walked to the school and sat down on the curb.

Sammie pulled up a couple of minutes later, and I slid into the passenger seat. She smiles at me and pulls away from the school. "It's going to take a while to get there. This house is about an hour and a half away."

"Dang."

"Yea, I know. Get ready for a very boring ride."

The ride itself wasn't that bad. I enjoyed watching the scenery roll by. When we got to the house, the party was in full swing. As it turned out, the house is right next to a late, and people were already swimming in it. Some people were milling about the yard, or in their own personal bubbles. I could hear the faint thumping of the music coming from the house. I grew nervous again. I had never been to a party before. I really hoped we utilized the buddy system while we were here.

I looked over at Sammie and she nodded her head. We walked across the yard and up the stairs to the front door. There was no need to knock because the door was wide open. There were people everywhere. What I assumed was the living room, had been turned into a dance floor. People were grinding all over each other and spilling their drinks everywhere. People were sitting on the stairs and the floor. Some were smoking and drinking, and others were chowing down on the various snacks. A girl was already asleep on the floor. I was still looking around when a boy with chin length golden-blonde hair greeted us at the foyer.

"Sammie! I'm so glad you could make it!" He had a face-splitting grin on his face as he eyed the blonde girl in front of him.

She smiled in return, and it seemed warmer than the ones she usually gave out. "Yea! It has been a while."

"We have to catch up!" He grabbed her hand and led her up the stairs.

"Hold on!" I tried to get Sammie's attention, but the music was too loud, and they were half-way up the stairs by the time I noticed he was dragging her away.

Great. So much for the buddy system. I sighed and made my way through the dense crowd. I made it to what seemed like a game room of sorts. Where a group of people were playing beer pong.

Somewhere along the way, a bottle of beer was shoved into my hands. It wasn't opened, so what was the harm? I opened it up and took a swig. Holy shit. It tasted disgusting. How can they drink this stuff? I coughed a little, and I still kept the beer. I made my way to the kitchen, which was surprisingly empty. I took another sip of beer and grimaced at the taste. I decided to sit on the counter that was facing the window. It had a wonderful view of the lake, but it was dimmed by the drink people that were trying to swim in it.

I sighed. Looks like I will be here until Sammie is done. I took another drink. The taste was getting better. I set the bottle down beside me, just as I heard a group of people enter the kitchen. I turned my head to the group, and I immediately noticed the unkempt, black hair and owl-like eyes among them.

You have got to be shitting me.

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, any of the characters or any other songs, movies, books, or places that I might mention.**

* * *

As soon as I saw the head of black hair, I immediately downed the rest of my drink. The taste was actually getting better. I still grimaced a little as I watched as the group of five sauntered into the kitchen.

L and Matt were there. There was also a petite blonde girl, a white-haired boy, and prissy looking brown haired boy. They had not noticed me yet, and I wanted to get out of as quickly as possible. I slid off of the counter and slowly made my way to the backdoor. As I reached for the door, the bottle fell out of my hand and landed on the floor.

I stared at my right hand for a couple of moments. When did that get in my hand? I thought I left it on the counter. I looked down at the unbroken bottle before bending down to picking it up. It was only when I stood back up, that I noticed that it was quiet in the room. I turned around to see that all five people were staring curiously at me.

"Hey…" I said as I backed up more towards the door.

"Sydney, is that you?" Matt said as he took a couple of steps forward.

"Yep."

Matt stared at me before cocking his head to the side and giving me one of his boyish smiles. "I almost didn't recognize you without your hair up." I could feel that my cheeks turn red and I glared at him.

"I can do something different you know," that came out harsher than I intended it to. Normally, when I am cross with people, I tend to ignore them than anything else. It was not like me to lash out at them. "Besides… I don't always have it in a ponytail."

"Buns don't count, and this is the first time I have seen all of your hair down." He was circling me now. When he got behind me, he bent down so his mouth was near my ear. "I am glad you could make it… did you happen to fulfill the other part of our deal." He whispered in my ear. A shiver rolled down my back as his breath hit my ear.

"Yes, she is here. She went off with some blond guy. I think they went upstairs."

"Good." He started walking again until he was in front of me. "That is great actually. You see, that was my friend Mello, and he just happens to have the hugest crush on Sammie. They used to be good friends, until she stopped talking to him about a month ago." He was silent for a moment for moment before continuing. "I have tried to get him to talk to her ever since, but he adamantly refused to do so. He has been rather boring since she stopped talking to him, so thank you for bringing her." He smiled at me again and I returned with a clumsy one of my own.

"Ahem," I lean to the side to get a better look at the other people in the room. The brown haired boy was looking rather annoyed as he stared at Matt and me.

"Oh," Matt said. "I almost forgot. These are my friends. Of course, you know L. This is Light, Misa, and Near." We all said our respective 'hellos,' before we fall into an awkward silence.

"Well, I for one am happy to have another girl in the group!" The shrill voice made me cringe as Misa practically ran over to me while shoving Matt out of the way. I was caught off guard when she gave me a bear hug. Holy shit, this girl is stronger than she looks.

I hesitantly patted her back as she swayed us back and forth. "Yea… nice to meet you too."

"This will be so wonderful! We can do lots of things together… like makeovers, we can do each other's hair, have sleepovers, and I could even cut your hair! I am certified now, and I know you would look good—"

"You are not cutting my hair… certified or not." I gathered my hair to one side and held it in a protective grip. I hear Matt let out a laugh before going the fridge getting a beer. She pouted at me before turning away to latch onto Light's arm.

"I forgot to mention that Light is my boyfriend, so don't you think about getting with him! You can be friends, sure, but if I ever find out that you have doing something else…" Her expression darkened as she thought of all the things she could do to me if I ever made a move on Light. Like that would ever happen. He seems a little too high maintenance for me. I could barely keep myself together, let alone adding another person to the mix.

"You have no worries there, I am not interested." Crap, I did not mean to say that last part out loud. I knew I should not have drank anything; I am such a lightweight. After that confession, Misa beamed at me while Light gave me an affronted look.

"I have a feeling that we will be very good friends!" She giggles some more, and I can practically feel the headache forming in my head.

I hear someone give a long sigh. I look over to see L leaning on the counter with Near at his feet. "Why are we here again? If you guys do not remember, we actually have something to do while we are here. Talking to her right now is a waste of time."

I turned to L, and I gave a short, humorless laugh. For some reason what he said made me snap. "Wasting your time?"

He nods. "Yes." As he said that, I can't help but glare at him. "Do you have a problem with that? I know I have talked to you before about time management. Do I need to go over it with you again?" He gave me a genuinely curious look.

"I am angry." Why did I say that? Of course he knows I am angry.

"Yes. Are you alright?" He leans toward me with scrutinizing eyes.

"No, I am not. I am mad at you."

"About?" He looks at me with his large, dark eyes.

"This whole 'wasting your time' thing." He scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. When he did not say anything else, I continued. "You complain all the time about other people 'wasting' your time, when you are such a hypocrite."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, you don't know? While you were too busy complaining about how other people waste your time, you wasted mine yesterday." My voice rose a couple of octaves as I continued. "After that huge speech you gave at our first meeting, I made sure to be early and ready for you, so we wouldn't be wasting any time. You know what? It was all for nothing! You know why? It was for nothing because my tutor did not show up." At that, there was a faint dusting of pink on his cheeks, but it quickly disappeared.

"I wouldn't have minded if you would have called or even texted me that you were not going to show up. You were lucky that Sammie was there to help me with it, or I probably would not have done well on it." I was breathing heavily by the end of it, and I was still glaring at L.

He leaned a little closer while inspecting my face. I gave him a confused look and leaned away from him. He opened his mouth. "Are you drunk?"

I gaped at him as I backed away a couple of steps. "That's what you got out of what I said? Were you even listening?"

"I was. I am a very successful at multitasking, so it what quite easy to listen to you babble on and study you appearance. Back to the question at hand, how often do you drink?"

"This is my first time."

"Really? It is no surprise. You are a quiet person, so I knew you were at least somewhat impaired when you would not be quiet. You should not have any more alcoholic drinks for tonight," I threw my hands up in defeat and turned to Misa.

"Do you want to dance?" She squealed and dragged me to the living room. We just got on the dance floor when a new song started. We did not talk much when we started to dance, I just let the beats take over.

 _Psychic spies from China  
Try to steal your mind's elation  
Little girls from Sweden  
Dream of silver screen quotations  
And if you want these kind of dreams  
It's Californication_

I danced to my heart's content as I closed my eyes swayed my body to the beat. I laughed when the songs changed to a slow one.

 _Watching every motion in my foolish lover's game  
On this endless ocean finally lovers know no shame  
Turning and returning to some secret place inside  
Watching in slow motion as you turn around and say_

 _Take my breath away  
Take my breath away_

I changed my pace to a slow sway, and just enjoyed the soft beat around me. I opened my eyes to glance at Misa. She was staring at something off to the side. I turned to see the guys from the kitchen standing off to the side of the dance floor, staring at the couples and people milling about. I could only guess that she was staring at Light.

I cannot imagine being that 'in love' with any human being. I can barely look at myself without finding flaws, and I can see myself picking at all of their flaws as well. It would never work, for me anyway. I hope that Light loves Misa back. She is a sweet girl, and no one deserves to be hurt like that.

 _Days like this I want to drive away  
Pack my bags and watch your shadow fade  
You chewed me up and spit me out  
Like I was poison in your mouth  
You took my light, you drained me down  
But that was then and this is now  
Now look at me _

I jumped up and down while turning and moving my arms all around. I looked at Misa again to see that she was no longer staring. She was dancing confidently around and singing along with the song. I wondered if I looked that like that. Like I didn't have a single car in the world, and that I didn't care about what other people thought about me. Like I was just being me, and just having fun without thinking about what could go wrong. Oh well…

I danced until my headache was gone, and I could think somewhat coherently. As we made our way back Misa rushed passed me to give Light a crushing hug.

"Did you guys get it done?" Misa looked up at Light who nodded.

"Get what done?"

"Nothing you need to worry about, Syd!" Misa smiled at me. "Hey, we were going to get something to eat. You should come with us!"

"I don't know… I have to tell Sammie, and I don't know if she wants to head back early." Matt snapped his head up at this.

"No! You cannot bother them. They just started talking again, and I am not letting you separate them now." He gave me a desperate look. "Just text her that you are going with us."

"How will I get home?"

"We will take you. They, on the other hand, are not going anywhere anytime soon."

I thought it might be a good thing for them to make about whatever happened, and I glanced up the stairs. "Okay. Food does sound good."

* * *

We ended up stopping at an ice cream shop. After we had all gotten our ice cream and sat down, Misa immediately began talking about prom.

"But… that's not until months away, right?" I did not like dances much, and I did not like the idea of spending a crap ton of money on a dress that I would probably only wear one time.

"Yes! I am so excited! It might be months away, but that is still not enough time to prepare for everything!" I tuned her out after a while, and looked around the table. My eyes widened when I caught sight of L's bowl. He got every flavor of ice cream that the shop had to offer, and it piled high over the bowl.

I turned to Matt. "Is he going to eat all of that?" I whispered to him as I watched as L took a huge bite of mint ice cream.

Matt looked over at L before chuckling. "Oh, yes he is. That's his… weakness, some would say."

"Weakness?"

"Yes." He then turned to me with wide eyes. "I forgot to tell you earlier. I was just so happy that you managed to get Sam to come tonight, that I totally forgot what I promised you." I leaned forward even more in anticipation. "Sweets."

My shoulders slumped in disappointment. I shoot Matt a confused look. "What about them?"

"That's how you get on his good side. He loves sweets, and it doesn't matter what kind you give him; he likes them all."

"Sweets, huh?" I glance at L, who was still immersed in the ice cream. "Well, does he have a favorite?"

"Of course he does." Matt says as he digs into his double chocolate fudge scoop.

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Oh, it's cake."

"Out of all the sweets in the world, and his favorite… is cake."

"Yea! He just cannot get enough of the stuff!" Matt goes back to eating. I contemplate this new information, as I take a sip of my chocolate shake. Does he like any kind of cake, or is his favorite a certain kind? Does he like toppings on it? I sighed and took another sip.

"We should go dress shopping soon, Sydney!" I cringe at the thought of going shopping with Misa.

I quickly shake my head. "I don't think I am going to prom."

"What!? What do you mean? You have to go! It will be your last prom!"

"I have never been to a dance, so why would I go now?"

She gives me an exasperated look. "You should go because it is that last one of your high school career! You can't just not go to it!"

"No, I am not going." I was firm in my answer, and Misa seemed to hear it because she gave me a pout before slumping down in her chair.

"Leave her alone Misa. If she doesn't want to go, you can't make her." Light tried to sooth his girlfriend. Misa looked better after getting attention from her boyfriend. I sighed and turned my attention back to Matt, who was talking to L.

"Do you think another one will happen soon?" Matt asked.

"There will be another one soon, there is no doubt about that. We have to be on the lookout for anything or anyone suspicious."

Matt nods. "Have you figured out what they mean yet?"

L gives him annoyed loon before shaking his head. "Figured what out yet?" Matt jumps and whips around to look at me.

"It's nothing." He smiles at me before scratching the back of his head.

I was about to push for more information when L spoke up. "Matt is right, Sydney, you do not need to concern yourself with it." He stares at me with his large, intimidating eyes until I back down. I go to take a sip of my shake, but I notice that it is gone. I sigh again before pushing the glass away.

I excuse myself and head towards the restroom. I stare at myself in the mirror. My curls have gone flat, and the mascara that I had put on earlier had made the bags of my eyes look darker. I wipe under my bottom eyelashes to get rid of some of the black, and I fluff up my curls to try to give them some life. After I am done, I looked at the mirror and gave my best smile. I scan my face as the smile slowly drops from my face. I am not that pretty, I mean I look average with my brown hair, light blue eyes, and my face still has some baby fat. I sigh before heading back to the table.

When I got back, the only one at the table was L. "Where did everyone go?"

He looks up from his ice cream. "Matt went to go smoke, and Misa, Light, and Near headed home." I nod before sitting down. We sat in comfortable silence for a couple of minutes. I was silently hoping Matt would hurry up when I heard L push his bowl away. I turned to L to find that he had pushed his bowl so it was in front of me.

There was a scoop of chocolate that was slightly melted in the bowl. I looked at L with a confused look. "You don't want it?"

"It's for you."

"You're giving up ice cream?" I could hardly believe it. If L really likes sweets as much as Matt says he does, then why would he give some away?

"As much as it pains me to do so, I wanted to apologize for not attending our meeting the other day." He isn't looking at me anymore, instead he is looking at the table. Warmth spreads through my chest. I never thought that he would give my anything, let alone some of his sweets. Hell, I didn't even think that he would apologize in any form.

I smiled before taking Misa's unused spoon. She did not get any ice cream for fear of 'getting fat.' I take a bite of the sugary goodness before looking back at L. He is staring at me again. "Thank you!" I smile at him, and he gives me a small one back. The smile, even though it is a mall one, lights up his face, and I can't help but blush at how much better he looks with a smile.

I glance out the window to see if Matt is almost done, to see Light standing outside staring at L and me. Then, his piercing eyes cut to mine, and glares at me before walking away. That was creepy. I turn when I hear the bell ring, signaling that Matt has come back into the parlor.

* * *

The weekend passed without a hitch. No one had come to the library on Saturday, and I spent Sunday doing chores and homework. When Monday came around, I woke up with a huge headache. I still went to school though.

It was Tuesday when I woke up with the same headache, and I was getting ready school when a wave of vertigo passed through me. I shook it off and finished getting ready for school. William had walked me to school both mornings, but we didn't talk much due to my pounding headache.

I has searched for Matt and L in my classes, but I did not see them. In fact, I did not even see them in the hallways. That's odd, I thought that would have them in at least one of my classes…

I was in psychology now, and I was not feeling any better. I could hardly keep my eyes open, and I was having a hard time taking notes. To make it worse, we were assigned a project today as well.

The teacher would assign each group to watch a movie. From the content of the movie, we would have to sort out the behavior from a certain character from the movie, and come up with three to five mental illnesses that the character might have been diagnosed with. Then, we have to state the best one that the character would most likely have. We have to write an eight-ten page paper about it in APA style, and we have to give a presentation to the class.

As the teacher was sorting out partners and movies, I caught William's eye. I hope we get to be partners. He is the only person in the class that I know, and it would just be easier, since we are neighbors after all.

"Then, we have… Sydney Koontz and Joey Higgins. You two will have _Clockwork Orange_ , and you will be analyzing the character Alex." I sighed and looked around the classroom for my partner. After scanning the classroom, I gave up and wrote the assignment down in my notebook.

"Ahem." I look up to find a tall, muscular teen standing in front of me. He had short auburn hair, brown eyes, and he was nicely tanned. "Hello, I'm Joey." He extends a hand out while smiling.

I smile back and shake his hand. "Sydney." He straddles the chair that is next to me, and I scoot over to make room for him. "So, when do you want to watch the movie?"

"Well, I have practices throughout this week, so the best time would probably be the weekend."

I nod. "Yea, that would be best. I am free Saturday afternoon and all of Sunday." He looks at me before snatching the pencil from my grasp and writing his phone number down.

"Sometimes we have weekend practices, based on how we perform in practices. So, just text me later in the week, and I will give you a definite answer then, okay." I nod, and he gets up and winks at me before he leaves. I roll my eyes at him before packing up.

At the end of the day, I feel worse. I sway a little as I make my way towards the library. I sit down at the same table, and I lay my head on the table as I wait for L. He comes a couple of minutes later. I looked up to see him sitting in his unusual way and laughed a little. At the sound of my laugh, he looks up at me. He tilts his head to the side as he scrutinizes my face.

"Are you okay? You look a little red." I nod before leaning down to get my physics book out of my bag. I must have gone up too fast, because a wave of dizziness washes over me. I sit still for a moment until it goes away, but it doesn't. L continues to look at me before he stands up and starts to make his way over to me.

Everything is spinning, and I go to stand up but I stumble. L stabilizes me by the forearms, and looks me in the eye. He is so close that I can see that his eyes are not all dark. There are also some specks of light brown in there. I guess the dark overshadows the little light that his eyes hold. I open my mouth to say something, but I can't remember what it is.

Soon, he is spinning too, and I am falling into a black abyss.

* * *

Thanks for reading!

Songs:

 _Californication_ by _Red Hot Chili Peppers_

 _Take My Breath Away_ by _Berlin_

 _Part of Me_ by _Katy Perry_


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